Barclays PLC Acquires 111,841 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 195.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 169,202 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 111,841 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.38% of Brinker International worth $22,383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its stake in Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $146,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 over the last three months. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on EAT shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Northcoast Research raised Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $142.53.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT traded up $1.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $158.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 422,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,447,125. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.01 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $148.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.51, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. On average, research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brinker International Company Profile

Brinker International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.